A playful poltergeist keeps pestering Wraithvine's apprentice. The kid is stuck in this world, not sure how to move to the next. So, instead, starts pestering the living, as any kid would, trying to get attention. -- Anon Guest
Some souls can't be returned to their bodies. Those who were killed in such a way that their body was obliterated have no body to return to. Even with the strongest resurrection spell at hand. The army of the risen were gathering as Strodius called them back for revenge against their murderer.
One, called in Strodius' ritual, was one that was stuck. Unable to move on, unable to come back. Overloaded with a smouldering malevolence and with few avenues to express it.
Since this lost soul was also a child of eight, their methods were less than charming. They could manifest boogers, draw insulting stick figures, and hum at all hours of the day and night. The fact that they had the wrong target was superfluous to them.
Strodius tried and failed to feel empathy towards the kid. It was hard to have a generous emotion towards someone who kept adding boogers to your mouth in the night.
"Sometimes," he confessed, after warding his area for the fiftieth time, "I feel like I want to kill them again."
"The child is angry, I understand that," said Wraithvine. I can attempt to distract them, or at least communicate. Some methods are... costly. Even for me. I can only promise that I will try to ease things."
Even with the wards protecting Strodius from 'additions', there were still the doodles and humming to deal with.
Until the nightmare was complete. A construction of deathclay, hazel sticks, and specific rare components, it was a puppet that the ghostly child could animate.
It was tall, oddly proportioned, and had a voice.
"Play wif me," it said in tones of eldritch screech.
Strodius nearly wet himself. "Good gracious gods, what in the world--?"
"Ancient necromancy," said Wraithvine. "Sometimes, malevolent spirits need some help to communicate their needs."
The puppet had a horrific imitation of a childish giggle.
"If we can get that to play with the enemy," he said. "The victory could well be legendary."
[Photo by Steven Van Elk on Unsplash]
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